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If I were you, I'd get the 210mm Fujiwara FKM gyuto 68+7 shipping from Japanesechefsknife.com http://japanesechefsknife.com/FKMSer...EIGHT:%20236px I'd also pick up a king 1000/6000 combo stone and a stone flattener. The Fujiwara will out cut the henkels and give you years of service.

If I were you, I'd get the 210mm Fujiwara FKM gyuto 68+7 shipping from Japanesechefsknife.com http://japanesechefsknife.com/FKMSer...EIGHT:%20236px I'd also pick up a king 1000/6000 combo stone and a stone flattener. The Fujiwara will out cut the henkels and give you years of service.

That's also not bad advice, esp if you think you might end up chipping your edges. It's softer but tougher and much less chippy and surprisingly nice to sharpen for a budget knife. The handles run smallish, if that matters. That compared to the large Tojiro handles.

OK - took a look at some of these knives, and now I really don't know which way to lean.

Hiromoto AS
Kagayaki CarboNext
Tojiro DP
Fujiwara FKM

Really liked the look of all of these knives. Don't really know the difference between all of them (which would hold an edge longer, which would be more stain resistant, etc.) Really liked the price of the Fujiwara FKM and the Tojiro DP even though the carbonext and hiromoto's were not terribly priced. Also liked the many different styles of knives that the Tojiro DP has to offer. (Could make a real nice matching set down the line). Never thought about size of handles. If it matters, I do have very large hands.

Hiromoto AS: solid all-around performer excellent edge-holding except in acidic conditions where it is only good
Kagayaki CarboNext: excellent cutter with very good edge-holding and very good stainless properties (although it does turn a dull gray with time).
Tojiro DP: stainless cladding with somewhat less stainless core. good edge holding and somewhat chippy, decent cutter.
Fujiwara FKM: stainless. decent edge holding, good cutter.

All of them are easy to sharpen with the Tojiro being a bit less easy.

As a home cook that takes good care of his knives, my vote is for the CN, no question.

OK - My final thoughts that I wish you guys to help me with so that I can make the best decision for myself.

How many knives should I definitely want to start out with for general home use (trimming meat, slicing, dicing veggies, etc.)?
I know that the main "go to" knife is the chef knife (gyuto). Having that, do I really need to have a santoku right away. Are they used for similar tasks?
Thinking of starting out with a small # of knives and using some of the $ for a good board to cut on. (thinking the sani-tuff that was recommended or a boardsmith) Am I correct in thinking a gyuto and 2 sizes of petty knives?

I guess what I'm asking for is a list of "must have" knives (in your opinion) and sizes, from best to worst for a novice that may not notice a difference between them. And one that will last

Everything that has interested me to this point so far has been - Tojiro DP, Kagayaki CarboNext, Fujiwara FKM, Miyabi, Hiromoto AS -- If you can think of any similar knives in this range that are worth looking at, let me know also.

I am sorry if I am being a pain in the a$$ -- I'm driving my wife as well as myself nuts too -- I just dont want to regret my decision and I know nothing about this

santoku and gyuto are both multi-purpose knives. some prefer one more than the other. General consensus I believe is pro-kitchen gyuto. Home kitchen if you have room to cut with a 210-240mm gyuto do it. Some people, however don't have room for that and will use a 190mm santoku. It all really comes down to preference.

I would recommend gyuto, but that didn't stop me from buying a santoku for a friend. Its what you think will work for you.

I would get 3 knives + bread (if you would use it):

gyuto 210-240 (if you have room I would get longer)
Petty 150-180
Paring/petty 90-120

As for which model and brand. The DP, Carbonext, FKM, AS, are all highly reviewed as good buys. Can't really go wrong with any of them.

As for cutting. Get a boardsmith board, those things are beautiful. I'm saving up for one of those. (for some reason whenever I save up it jumps straight to a knife)

+ tojiro ITK bread knife

The essentials could easily leave out the paring and just use the petty, but its nice to have tho.

A man only NEEDS two knives in a kitchen--a big one, and a small one. But the more, the merrier. It depends on what you like to do a lot. You cook a lot of veggies? The flat profile on a Nakiri might be in order. Lots of crusty breads? Bread knife! Sushi? Yanagi. Whole Chicken? Honesuki. Small fruit? Parer. The list goes on.

The truth is, although this is not always the case, the list I compiled for you previously is graded in order of quality AND price. The more you spend, the more you get. Tojiro will be far and away better than anything I've seen out of Europe, but the others are better still. The Murray Carter knife, while out of stock for now, is one of the most amazing values out there--a handmade knife by an expert American craftsman, performs beautifully and under $200. Almost too good to be true.

These knives have other qualities that differentiate them, like exact placement of the balance point, shape of the grind, subtle profile differences...but, being a newcomer to high-performing knives, you won't notice. I really suggest you get whatever you budget can handle on that list. None of them will leave you dissatisfied.